Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Nintendo Game Boy, occasionally referred to as the DMG due to it's model number, is an 8-bit handheld video game device conceived by Gunpei Yokoi as a follow-up to the Game & Watch series and was first produced in 1989. The machine was an amazing success and sold more than 86 million units. This dated piece of hardware has even received a new following as it has become a quintessential instrument in the chiptune music scene. For all of it's history and fame, it does have it's little secrets and as a collector, they fascinate me. We all know that there are often special or limited editions of games and consoles released but it was only recently that I stumbled upon some of the more rare versions of this notable gadget. I've come across 7 limited edition Game Boys I had never heard of until today. I hope you enjoy learning about them as much as I did.

Woah, Wario on a black Game Boy? This is a pretty cool device! What's interesting to point out is the "LIMITED EDITION" sticker on the front of the box and the fact that the Game Boy is missing the typical "Nintendo GAME BOY" printed on the front. This was a prize given away in the UK from the show Ghost Train in the early 90's. Weird show, cool prize. I've never seen one sell, ever. So pricing it is problematic.

The only Game Boy to prominently display a demon on the front, this rare edition is another UK only and was released alongside the other colors as part of Nintendo's "Play It Loud!" ad campaign. The crazy thing is that you can still find these, new, for around $200 and loose for half that. They aren't that rare in the UK.

Buy a car, get a Game Boy. This was a sales strategy in Japan employed by Toyota in 1992. It is kind of a lame edition. The logo just sort of slapped on there, no cool color scheme, nothing neat. Well, if you find one they are worth around $200 but they are stupidly hard to find, especially anywhere but Japan.

The Milka Game Boy is a sweet addition to any collection. This legendary collectible sports a tiny, purple, Milka-branded cow on a green pasture and was another contest prize, this time in Germany. There are rumored to be only 50 of these in existence and they sell for more than $230.

Remember Planet Hollywood? The well-conceived, and poorly executed restaurant chain that failed where Hard Rock Cafe succeeded? Well, for a while in the early 90's they were on top of the world. They had everything and even managed a deal with Nintendo to get Planet Hollywood-branded Game Boys. How crazy is that! They were sold in the gift shop of the restaurant and were rumored to be another European-exclusive. Occasionally they show up on eBay and would probably fetch around $200.

No, this isn't some hand-painted Game Boy, this is an honest to goodness game show prize Game Boy. I have no idea what show it was given away on and details are scarce but it was believed to be somewhere in the UK and the owner even posted a video online showing it off. It is missing the "Nintendo GAME BOY" printed on the front but it was professionally painted and in the video you can see that the serial number was added on after the paint job. I wish I knew more about this and feel free to post and tell us if you know. I have no idea what it is worth.

Well, that's all of them and that's all I have for you today... wait a minute, what is that on top! Is that a hot pink Game Boy with a Kirby on it. Yes, yes it is! There are no details on that item other than this photo which comes from Nintendo's official European website. I have never seen one and this is the only photo I can find of it. It is truly a holy grail of Game Boy collecting. If you know anything about it, please leave a comment.
[UPDATE: A reader left a comment and it turns out that it was part of mail in sweepstakes for a UK company called, The Jacob's Bakery Limited, and only 25 were given out. Also recently, one went up on eBay then was taken down but I grabbed the photos.]

I hope you enjoyed my list and check the blog often for more articles on rare collectibles you didn't even know to collect!

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I would the owner probably doesn't know what its worth, you could research it to see if its worth anything before you purchase it also anyways good luck on what you can find and if you purchase it or not!

Hello I have a Blue Game Boy Play it Loud, I heard these are pretty hard to come by/rare due to them only being a UK release? Does anyone know if this is correct and if so how rare and valuable are they.

I had purchased the Nintendo Game Boy Micro before months ago, and it really designs better and more comfortable in use. i heard that the company continued to refine the portable model of the compact Game Boy device.